Glucose, Insulin and Renin activity after sodium loading and depletion in Vipera aspis.

Sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose, insulin and renin activity were investigated in fasted Vipera aspis subjected for 3 days to administration of 3% NaCl 5 ml, or injection of a diuretic and water loading to produce sodium depletion. After sodium loading, plasma sodium and glucose were significantly elevated if compared with those of controls, while plasma renin-like activity and plasma insulin were depressed. The insulin and somatostatin producing cells (B- and D-cells) showed only a weak immunoreactivity, while in the glucagon producing cells (A-cells) the immunoreactivity was stronger if compared with the handled controls. After sodium depletion, plasma sodium and glucose were significantly depressed and plasma renin-like activity and plasma insulin were significantly elevated. A strong immunoreactivity was present in B- and D-cells and only a weak immunoreactivity was detectable in the A-cells. These data suggest that the secretory activity of the endocrine pancreas and kidney may be affected, in vipers, by sodium and/or volume status

Regulatory peptides in the urinary bladder of two genera of Antarctic Teleosts

Somatostatin 14, prolactin, atrial natriuretic peptide, galanin and urotensin II were found using immunohistochemistry in the urinary bladders of the Antarctic \uaeshes Trematomus bernacchii (Nototheniidae) and Chionodraco hamatus (Channichthyidae) caught in the Ross Sea. The urinary bladders of the two species showed a dierent histology in the epithelial layer. In T. bernacchii the epithelium comprises a single type of columnar cells, while in C. hamatus the columnar cells are restricted to the ventral portion of the bladder, and the dorso-lateral region is lined by cuboidal cells. No dierence in the intensity of the immunostaining was observed in the two cell types; the only variation was a dierent distribution of the immunoreactions, which were present in the whole cytoplasm in the cuboidal cells and restricted to the apical and/or basal portion of the columnar cells

Determination of picloram in waters by sequential injection chromatography with UV detection

This paper describes a sequential injection chromatography procedure for determination of picloram in waters exploring the low backpressure of a 2.5 cm long monolithic C18 column. Separation of the analyte from the matrix was achieved in less than 60 s using a mobile phase composed by 20:80 (v v-1) acetonitrile:5.0 mmol L-1 H3PO4 and flow rate of 30 μL s-1. Detection was made at 223 nm with a 40 mm optical path length cell. The limits of detection and quantification were 33 and 137 μg L-1, respectively. The proposed method is sensitive enough to monitor the maximum concentration level for picloram in drinking water (500 μg L-1). The sampling frequency is 60 analyses per hour, consuming only 300 μL of acetonitrile per analysis. The proposed methodology was applied to spiked river water samples and no statistically significant differences were observed in comparison to a conventional HPLC-UV method.Este trabalho descreve um procedimento de cromatografia por injeção seqüencial para a determinação de picloram em águas explorando a baixa pressão de uma coluna monolítica C18 de 2,5 cm de comprimento. A separação do analito da matriz foi obtida em menos de 60 s usando como fase móvel uma mistura de acetonitrila e H3PO4 5,0 mmol L-1 na proporção 20:80 (v v-1) e vazão de 30 μL s-1. Detecção foi feita a 223 nm com uma cela de 40 mm de caminho óptico. O limite de detecção do método é adequado para monitorar o nível de concentração máximo permitido para picloram em água potável (500 μg L-1). A frequência de amostragem é de 60 análises por hora, consumindo 300 μL de acetonitrila por análise. A metodologia foi aplicada a águas de rio fortificadas, não sendo observadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas em comparação com a metodologia convencional de HPLC-UV.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Ions and water transmembrane transport in nervous and testicular cultured cells in low gravity conditions

Aim of the present study was to investigate on the possible alter- ations induced by on ground modeled microgravity on ion-water transport proteins at cellular level. For the purpose we used astrocytes, C6 line, neurons (NT2 line from human teratocarci- noma) and testicular cells (germ cells, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells; primary cultures from trypsinised prepuberal pig testes). Modeled microgravity was achieved by a desktop 3D Random Positioning Machine, cultures were kept rotating for 30’, 1h and 24h. After 30’, immunopositivity for the antibodies to Na+/K+ATPase and Na+/K+/Cl- co-transporters was greatly diminished, the plasma membrane appeared to be altered, and the mitochondria inner cristae were disrupted. Immunostaining to the antibody to the water channel aquaporin 4 was very bright. After 1h at random rotation immunostaining for the heat shock protein Hsp27 was visible, After 24h, immunostaining for the ion transport proteins was again like that of the controls,plasma membrane and the mitochondria were again normal. Immunostaining for aquaporin 4 become again similar to that of the controls. We conclude that low gravity induces only tran- sient alterations in the cell’s transmembrane ion-water trans- port: the cells are able to adapt to the gravity vector changes in few hours

On the Design of Sidelink for Cellular V2X: A Literature Review and Outlook for Future

Connected and fully automated vehicles are expected to revolutionize our mobility in the near future on a global scale, by significantly improving road safety, traffic efficiency, and traveling experience. Enhanced vehicular applications, such as cooperative sensing and maneuvering or vehicle platooning, heavily rely on direct connectivity among vehicles, which is enabled by sidelink communications. In order to set the ground for the core contribution of this paper, we first analyze the main streams of the cellular-vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology evolution within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), with focus on the sidelink air interface. Then, we provide a comprehensive survey of the related literature, which is classified and critically dissected, considering both the Long-Term Evolution-based solutions and the 5G New Radio-based latest advancements that promise substantial improvements in terms of latency and reliability. The wide literature review is used as a basis to finally identify further challenges and perspectives, which may shape the C-V2X sidelink developments in the next-generation vehicles beyond 5G

How Equalization Techniques Affect the TCP Performance of MC-CDMA Systems in Correlated Fading Channels

This paper investigates the impact of several equalization techniques for multicarrier code division multiple access systems on the performance at both lower and upper layers (i.e., physical and TCP layers). Classical techniques such as maximal ratio combining, equal gain combining, orthogonality restoring combining, minimum mean square error, as well as a partial equalization (PE) are investigated in time- and frequency-correlated fading channels with various numbers of interferers. Their impact on the performance at upper level is then studied. The results are obtained through an integrated simulation platform carefully reproducing all main aspects affecting the quality of service perceived by the final user, allowing an investigation of the real gain produced by signal processing techniques at TCP level

A Logical Framework for XML Reference Specification

XML emerged as the (meta) mark-up language for representing, exchanging, or storing semistructured data. The structure of an XML document may be specified through DTD (Document Type Definition) language or through the specific XML language XSchema. While the expressiveness of XML Schema allows one to specify both the structure and constraints for XML documents, DTD does not allow the specification of integrity constraints for XML documents. On the other side, DTD has a very compact notation opposed to the complex notation and syntax of XML Schema. According to this scenario, in this paper we focus on a (as much as possible) simple logic, called XHyb, expressive enough to allow the specification of the most common integrity constraints in XML documents. In particular we will deal with constraints on ID and IDREF(S) attributes, which are the common way of logically connecting parts of XML documents, besides the usual containment relation of XML elements

Zymographic assay of plant diamine oxidase on entrapped peroxidase polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A study of stability to proteolysis

A zymographic assay of diamine oxidase (DAO, histaminase, EC 1.4.3.6), based on a coupled peroxidase reaction, and its behavior at proteolysis in simulated gastric and intestinal conditions, are described. The DAO activity from a vegetal extract of Lathyrus sativus seedlings was directly determined on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide electrophoretic gels containing entrapped horseradish peroxidase, with putrescine as substrate of histaminase and ortho-phenylenediamine as co-substrate of peroxidase. The accumulation of azo-aniline, as peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation product, led to well-defined yellow-brown bands on gels, with intensities corresponding to the enzymatic activity of DAO. After image analysis of gels, a linear dependency of DAO content (Coomassie-stained protein bands) and of its enzymatic activity (zymographic bands) with the concentration of the vegetal extract was obtained. In simulated gastric conditions (pH 1.2, 37 °C), the DAO from the vegetal extract lost its enzymatic activity before 15 min of incubation, either in the presence or absence of pepsin. The protein pattern (Coomassie-stained) revealed that the DAO content from the vegetal extract was kept almost constant in the simulated intestinal fluid (containing pancreatin or not), with a slight diminution in the presence of pancreatic proteases. After 10 h of incubation at 37 °C, the DAO enzymatic activity from the vegetal extract was 44.7% in media without pancreatin and 13.6% in the presence of pancreatin, whereas the purified DAO retained only 4.65% of its initial enzymatic activity in the presence of pancreatin

Thermal imprint of rift-related processes in orogens as recorded in the Pyrenees

International audience19 The extent to which heat recorded in orogens reflects thermal conditions inherited from 20 previous rift-related processes is still debated and poorly documented. As a case study, we 21 examine the Mauléon basin in the north-western Pyrenees that experienced both extreme 22 crustal thinning and tectonic inversion within a period of ~30 Myrs. To constrain the time-23 temperature history of the basin in such a scenario, we provide new detrital zircon fission-24 track and (U-Th-Sm)/He thermochronology data. The role of rift-related processes in 25 subsequent collision is captured by inverse modeling of our thermochronological data, using 26 relationships between zircon (U-Th-Sm)/He ages and uranium content, combined with 27 thermo-kinematic models of a rift-orogen cycle. We show that the basin recorded significant 28 heating at about 100 Ma characterized by high geothermal gradients (~80°C/km). Our 29 thermo-kinematic modeling and geological constraints support the view that subcontinental 30 lithospheric mantle was exhumed at that time below the Mauléon basin. Such a high 31 geothermal gradient lasted 30 Myr after onset of convergence at ~83 Ma and was relaxed 32 during the collision phase from ~50 Ma. This study suggests that heat needed for ductile 33 shortening during convergence, is primarily inherited from extension rather than being only 34 related to tectonic and/or sedimentary burial. This should have strong implications on tectonic 35 reconstructions in many collision belts that resulted from inversion of hyper-extended rift 36 basins